From Style to Spins: Ilia Malinin’s Jeans-Clad Backflip Steals the Show

Ilia Malinin of Team USA performs during a Figure Skating Exhibition Gala on Feb. 21, 2026.Credit : Jamie Squire/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

Ilia Malinin made a fashion statement during his Olympic gala performance on Feb. 21
The 21-year-old Team USA figure skater wore designer denim for his triumphant return to the ice
His performance highlighted mental health awareness one week after his hopes of an individual gold medal fell short

Ilia Malinin defies gravity… and the limitations of denim!

Famously nicknamed the “Quad God,” Malinin rocked a not-so-casual outfit despite what it might look like in his breathtaking return to the Olympic ice at the annual figure skating exhibition gala on Saturday, Feb. 21.

Malinin performed his signature quadruple axils and impressive flip on skates all while wearing $1,100 distressed Balmain black jeans paired with a gray oversized NF “Fear” hoodie, a nod to the song he chose for his memorable, emotionally-charged run.

Ilia Malinin performs during the 2026 Winter Olympics figure skating exhibition gala.Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty

The 21-year-old professional figure skater, who clearly blurred the line between sports and runway, delivered a powerful performance that placed emphasis on mental health awareness, previously sharing a statement about mental health with his routine.

The professional figure delivered a powerful performance set to “Fear” by NF, which he’d previously teased would be focused on mental health, one week after his hopes of an individual gold medal fell short.

Malinin said after his disappointing final skate on Feb. 13 that he’d been overcome with “negative thoughts” just before beginning his ice routine, which had made it hard for him to focus and ultimately landed him an eighth-place finish.

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Ilia Malinin of Team USA wows with a backflip in designer denim at the Olympic skating exhibition gala on Feb. 21, 2026.Steve Christo/Getty

During his gala program, the athlete started by symbolically batting away the pings and comments in his music, which represented the negative impact of social media on his mental health. He appeared overcome with emotion afterwards as he soaked in the roaring applause of the crowd.

Malinin previously teased what fans could expect from his performance in an Instagram post on Monday, Feb. 16. “On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside,” he begin in his caption.

“Even the happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise,” he continued to write. “Vile online hatred attacks the mind and fear lures it into the darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane through the endless insurmountable pressure.”

Ellie Kam, Danny O’Shea, Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Alysa Liu, Ilia Malinin and Amber Glenn of Team United States perform in the Team Event routine during a Figure Skating Exhibition Gala at the 2026 Winter Olympics.Maja Hitij/Getty

The gala is a post-competition tradition that features appearances by the athletes in all three completed figure skating events. Malinin, Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, Mikhail Shaidorov and Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry all skated.

No judges are involved, nor are medals at stake — simple creativity and fun are encouraged in the programs. Malinin and his teammates also performed a group program together earlier in the night.

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Malinin told PEOPLE a few days prior to the gala that he was leaving his Olympic experience with newfound wisdom, having gained more in defeat.

“I think honestly, you learn more from losing than you do winning, so I think I’m definitely gonna be able to learn a lot from this so I can come back better and stronger and really just know what I was up against,” he said.

“It’s one thing to experience the Olympics for the first time,” he continued, “But it’s another to go again and know what’s gonna happen and really know how to prepare yourself better.”